Harry Potter TV series gets release update as JK Rowling meets with producers

First-ever TV adaptation of the author’s best-selling book series was announced last April

Warner Bros has said it is eyeing a 2026 premiere date for its highly anticipated Harry Potter TV adaptation.

It was announced last April that Warner Bros would be moving forward with its plans to adapt the first-ever TV series based on JK Rowling’s best-selling books about the Boy Who Lived.

The release update was revealed on Friday (23 February) by Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav during the company’s Q4 earnings call, Variety reported.

“We’ve not been shy about our excitement around Harry Potter,” Zaslav told analysts, adding that he, HBO content boss Casey Bloys and Warner Bros Television chairperson Channing Dungey had met with Rowling in London a few weeks ago to discuss the show.

“We spent some real time with JK and her team,” Zaslav said. “Both sides are just thrilled to be reigniting this franchise. Our conversations were great, and we couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead. We can’t wait to share a decade of new stories with fans around the world on Max.”

The forthcoming series will be released on Max, and is expected to become a “decade-long series”, with each season based on one of the seven books.

“This new Max Original series will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years,” Bloys previously said.

It will also feature an entirely new cast to the beloved film franchise, which starred Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter and Emma Watson and Rupert Grint as his best friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, respectively.

Before Sarah J Maas, JK Rowling changed Bloomsbury’s fortunes with the Harry Potter books (Getty Images)

When asked about the possibility of joining the new series last July, Radcliffe gave a frank answer, saying: “My understanding is that they’re trying to very much start fresh and I’m sure whoever is making them will want to make their own mark on it and probably not want to have to figure out how to get old Harry to cameo in this somewhere.

“So I’m definitely not seeking it out in any way,” he continued. “But I do wish them, obviously, all the luck in the world and I’m very excited to have that torch passed. But I don’t think it needs me to physically pass it.”

Rowling, the author who has become a controversial figure for her remarks about women and transgender rights, will serve as an executive producer to “ensure it remains loyal to her original material”.

“Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television series,” she said in an earlier statement.

Warner Bros produced the original eight films based on the book series, which generated more than $7.7bn (£6.2 bn) at the worldwide box office.